Amid a wave of deadly plane crashes making headlines in 2025—including the recent Air India crash that left hundreds dead—many are reflecting on the long history of aviation disasters, especially those that happened on U.S. soil. While the Air India tragedy didn’t occur in America, its scale and shock have reignited global concerns about air travel safety.
From catastrophic mid-air collisions to runway mishaps and mechanical failures, the United States has witnessed some of the deadliest air disasters in history. Below, HollywoodLife takes a closer look at the most fatal plane crashes that have ever happened in America.
What Was the Deadliest Plane Crash in U.S. History?
The deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil was American Airlines Flight 191, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago O’Hare International Airport on May 25, 1979. All 271 people on board and 2 people on the ground were killed, bringing the total death toll to 273. The DC-10 aircraft lost an engine during takeoff, which led to catastrophic hydraulic and mechanical failures. The tragedy remains the single most fatal aviation accident in U.S. history and led to a temporary grounding of the DC-10 fleet nationwide.
Another devastating disaster came years later with American Airlines Flight 587, which crashed into a quiet residential neighborhood in Queens, New York, just minutes after departing JFK Airport on November 12, 2001. All 260 passengers and crew were killed, along with five people on the ground, bringing the total to 265 deaths.
How Often Do Plane Crashes Occur in the United States Today?
Commercial plane crashes in the U.S. are extremely rare today. According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and FAA, fatal crashes involving major U.S. airlines are less than one per year on average. Most aviation accidents now involve small private planes or charter aircraft, not large commercial jets. In fact, the last major U.S. commercial airline crash with significant fatalities was Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009, which killed 50 people near Buffalo, New York. While 2025 has seen an uptick in aviation-related headlines, the vast majority of flights remain safe, with stricter regulations and better aircraft technology continuing to reduce risks.
How Many Plane Crashes Have There Been in 2025?
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, there have been 470 aviation accidents so far in 2025. Of these, 93 were considered fatal accidents, and 377 were non-fatal.
